Passenger device for equalizing ship motion.



A. W. THEILSIEFJE. I PASSENGER DEVICE FOR EQUALIZING SHIP MOTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1910.

Patented June 21, 1910.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

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ANDREW B. GRAHAM c0, PNOTO-UTHOGRAPNERS WASHINGTO!! :1v 0

A. W. THEILSIEF-JE.

PASSENGER DEVICE FOR EQUALIZING SHIP MOTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1910.

Patented June 21,1910.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

ANDREW a GRAHAM c0w F!!!)TWUTNOGRAPNEflWASHINGTON. u I;

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PASSENGER DEVICE FOR EQUALIZING SHIP MOTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 21, 1910.

Application filed March 21, 1910. Serial No. 550,778.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADoLPH 1V. THEIL- SIEFJE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residin at Ridgefield, in the county of Clarke and gtate ofWashington, have invented a new and useful Improvement in PassengerDevices for Equalizing Shi Motion, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a class of devices to be placed in ships, andhaving platforms or cars for the accommodation of passengers, whichplatforms or cars may be kept on a mean level irrespective of the motionof the ship, and thus prevent seasickness.

The object of my invention is to provide such a device in which theupward and downward movement of a car is overcome by an arrangement ofpneumatically controlled machinery. I attain this object as well asother advantages by the construction, combination and arrangement ofparts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form a parthereof.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the assembled device, the car beingpartly above the vessels deck. Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross sectionalview of the pressure cylinder. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectionalview through one of the pumping cylinders. Fig. 1 is an enlarged crosssectional View through the inlet and exhaust valves. Fig. 5 is anenlarged cross sectional view through the low pressure tank equalizer.

A represents the deck of a vessel.

B is a reservoir below the deck, only a portion being visible. Thisreservoir is of form and size as may be most convenient, and is to befilled with air under pressure, transmitted from any suitable powersource into the reservoir through the pipe 6. This reservoir issubsequently charged with air as may be necessary in accordance withloss of air from it by exhaust, as will hereafter be shown.

C C are pumping cylinders rigidly secured at their lower ends to thedeck A. They are provided with pipes 77 which extend from within theirlower ends into the reservoir B. The pipes 77 are provided with checkvalves 8-8, see more particularly Fig. 3. lVithin these cylinders areThis car is rigidly secured at each side to the.

upper ends of the piston rods 99 by means of the hangers 13-13. The caris also kept in vertical position by guides 15-13 and FF are high andlow pressure cylinders rigidly secured to opposite sides of the car D.Within these cylinders are pistons 14: as shown in Fig. 2 and verticalpiston rods 15 connected therewith, the lower ends of said rods beingrigidly secured to the deck' A.

From within the upper ends of the cylinders EE, pipes 1717 extend into acommon valve 18. A vertical valve stem 19 is provided for this valve,the lower end of the stem being secured to a lever 19 which is pivotedon the guide 21 within the car D. This stem 19 is also a common valvestem for three valves above 18. It has rigidly secured to, and supportson its upper end, a vertical frame 20. This frame is retained inposition by a guide 21 passing through it, and having its lower endsecured to the floor of the car D. Near the top of the guide 21 andabove the frame 20 is a recoil spring 22. The lower part of the frame 20carries two small reservoirs 23 which are filled with a gas lighter thanair to reduce the specific gravity of the frame 20. The horizontal armsof the reservoirs 23 are pivoted on the guide 21.

From the pipes 17-17 extend pipes 2t-24 into a valve 25 on the stem 19and from the valve 25 extends a pipe 26 through an equalizer 27 into alow pressure reservoir 28. The equalizer 27, see Fig. 5 is provided witha valve stem 29, one end of which extends without the equalizer andcarries thereon a check valve 30. Within the equalizer the stem 29carries a recoil spring 31 near the outer end. On the opposite end ofthe stem 29 it carries a larger valve plate 32, which divides theequalizer into two chambers 3333. In the valve plate 32 is a secondarycheck valve 34 having a recoil spring 35 thereon. In the pipe 26 betweenthe equalizer and the reservoir 28 1s placed a check valve 36.

From within the upper ends of the cylinders FF, pipes 37-37 extend intoa common valve 38. From the valve 38a pipe 39 extends into the lowerpressure tank 28. From the pipes 3737 extend plpes 40-40 into a valve 41on the stem 19. In the body of the valve 41'is an exhaust opening 42.Rubber impact cushions 43 are provided on the deck A below the car D.

It will now be seen that for a primary proposition, the car D is to beretained by my mechanism at nearly a stationary height from the bed ofthe sea or stream traversed. That is to say, the pneumatic control ofthe car is to prevent its vertical movement beyond a very negligibledistance. This is accomplished in the following manner. The reservoir Bmust first be charged with air under a sufficient pressure. If thevessel rises on aswell the frame 20 having its weight neutralized bearsdownward. In doing so it closes the ports of the pipes 11 and 39 of thehigh and low pressure cylinders E-E and F-F and at the same time opensthe exhaust ports 26 and 42 of the exhaust valves 25 and 41. Thesepositions of the valves cause the air from the cylinders EE to flowthrough the pipes 17-17, 2424, the exhaust valve 25, pipe 26 andequalizer 27 into the low pressure reservoir 28. At the same time theair in the cylinders FF flows through the pipes 37 and 40 and valve 41into the open air. The exhaustion of air into the cylinders E---E andF-F allows the vessel to ascend without raising the car with it.

It will also be noted that during the aforesaid operation that when airpasses through the pipe 26 into the equalizer 27 the result is asfollows. The air passes first into the chamber 33 of the equalizermoving the valve plate '32, closing the valve 30 and allowing air topass into the chamber 33 and thence into the reservoir 28. When theexhaust pressure from the high service cylinders has been balanced inthe reservoir 28, the reflex pressure closes the valve 36 in the pipe 26and causes the valve plate 32 to close the chamber 33. In doing this italso opens the valve 30 and the liberation of the-air in the chamber 33opens the auxiliary valve 34 in the valve plate 32 and thus preventstrapping of air in the chamber 33. It is also to be noted that the footvalve 10 of reservoirs C-C opens and they receive air while the checkvalves 88 are closed.

When the vessel descends into the trough of the sea, a reverse operationtakes place. The frame 20 rises a sufficient distance to reverse thevalves. In doing so the valves 25 and 41 are closed and the valves 18and 38 opened. This allows air from the reservoir B to flow through thevalve 18 into the high pressure cylinders EE' and air from the lowpressure reservoir 28 to flow through the pipe 39 and valve 38 into thelow pres sure cylinders F-F. At the same time the foot valves 10 of thereservoirs OG close and the check valves 88 open, allowing the downwardmovement of the pistons 9 in these reservoirs to force anyexcess airinto the reservoir B. This operation just described allows the vessel todescend without carrying the car with it.

It is intended that the car in my device shall be prevented fromascending or descending any appreciable amount with the movement of thevessel, by means of a cushion of air resisting such movement on the partof the car. The arrangement of parts for the purpose of using the weightof the car to pump air into the reservoir B and the using of secondarypressure are for economy of operation and to avoid the necessity so faras possible of recharging the reservoir B from a power source. It Isbelieved that my device will fully overcome the motion of the vesselwhich is so unpleasant and is the cause of seasickness, and enable apassenger to be always in a uniform position with respect to the bed ofthe ocean or stream.

Having thus fully described my invention I claim:

In a passenger device for equalizing ship motion, the combination with avesselof a pressure reservoir B and means therein to receive power froma power source, vertical pumping cylinders GC secured to the vesseldeck, having therein pistons, also provided with valved pipes extendinginto the reservoir B and with foot valves in their lower ends, apassenger car D ri idly secured at the sides to the upper en s of thepumping cylinder pistons, means to retain the car in vertical position,vertical high pressure and low pressure cylinders E'E' and FF rigidlysecured upon the sides of the car, each containing pistons, the lowerends of which are secured to the vessel deck, a pipe 11 extending fromthe reservoir B into valves of the high pressure cylinders, inlet valves18 and 38 and exhaust valves 25 and 41, pipe connections from reservoirsEE with valves 18 and 25, pipe connections from reservoirs FF" withvalves 38 and 41, a low pressure tank 28,, pipe connection from the sameto the'valve 38, also to the valve 25, the latter pipe being .providedwith a cut-ofi' valve, also a pressure equalizer in said pipe havingmeans therein to admit the flow of air into the low pres- 7 i surereservoir and to allow an exhaust when the pressure 1n the latterreservo1r 1s equalized, a valve stem 19 common to the inlet and exhaustvalves, said stem being pivoted at its lower end to a lever pivoted on avertical guide, a frame 20 secured to the upper end of the common valvestem and a uide to retain the frame in vertical posltion, means securedto the frame to decrease its specific gravity all substantially asdescribed.

ADOLPH W. THEILSIEFJ E.

Witnesses:

W. F. HUBBARD, M. C. WRIGHT.

